


We're Just a Little Cliche, But That's Okay

by wherehopelies



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Bemily Week 2020, F/F, Fluff, It's A Metaphor Hazel Grace, emily is always late
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:08:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23074507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wherehopelies/pseuds/wherehopelies
Summary: Emily keeps running into her neighbor in the hallway.
Relationships: Emily Junk/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 18
Kudos: 185





	We're Just a Little Cliche, But That's Okay

**Author's Note:**

> Legit have been working on this idea since October so thank you to Bemily Week voters for voting for this prompt and giving me a reason to make myself finish it.

**I.**

The building sat across from a small park, one with an old-school playground that was home to just a few swings and a metal slide, the kind that could give a careless child minor burns on the hottest days of the summer. It was made of red brick, haggard black shingles, and a large rain drain that was so faded and chipped that it seemed colorless. The walls of the second floor, where Emily lived, had been painted a pale gray, like the preamble to a thunderstorm. The door of number 255 was black. Number 256, across the hall, was also black. All the doors on the floor, in fact, were black. The steady black of a moonless, starless night.

It was, in other words --

"Bleak as shit."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad."

"Even a glass half-fuller like you has to see that it's bleak, Em. Real fucking bleak."

Emily smiled over at her best friend and hefted the box she was carrying higher in her arms, getting a better grip. "It's just… quaint. It has charm. And it's what I can afford, alright?"

Stacie sniffed disapprovingly, as if she could smell the cheapness of the place in the air. Emily, for the record, thought it smelled fine. "I said you could keep staying with me."

"And I said no." Finally in front of 255, Emily set down the box and rummaged in her pocket for the set of keys she got from the landlord the day before. "I'm not gonna keep mooching off you and Bella."

"Well it's criminal," Stacie scoffed. "What they pay teachers. How can they expect you to live in the Doom and Gloom Inn and then come teach rowdy third graders how to play the recorder? Anyone would be traumatized."

Emily chuckled. "Recorder is fourth grade."

"Whatever."

Emily finally pulled the key out and put it in the lock. She frowned as she tried to turn it.

"Any day now sunshine, this box is approximately three thousand pounds."

"I'm trying," Emily huffed. "It's stuck."

At that moment, the door across the hall opened and out stepped a girl, dressed in a dark blazer and jeans. Headphones hung around her neck, a soft beat emanating suddenly into the hall. Emily's neighbor, she presumed. The girl locked her own door and turned around. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise to see people standing there.

"Hey!" Emily smiled at the girl, her natural instinct for friendliness immediately coming to the surface.

The girl nodded her chin up in greeting. Her eyes slowly took in the situation, Stacie standing there holding a box, Emily with her hand on the doorknob to 255. "You gotta jiggle it," the girl finally said, her voice tired. She took a few steps down the hallway, turning backwards so she could look at them. "And pull the handle toward you at the same time. It's a real bitch if you got full hands."

She turned back around as Emily did what she said. The lock clicked and the door swung open.

Emily gaped, looking after the girl. "Thank you!" She called.

The girl lifted a hand in acknowledgement and pulled her headphones up over her ears. Then she went down the stairs and was gone.

"At least the neighbors are helpful," Emily mused.

"Who? Wednesday Addams?" Stacie snorted, pushing past Emily and into the apartment. "She didn't even say hello. Or offer to help carry anything. Some might call it rude."

Emily shrugged and followed Stacie into the apartment. She'd thought the girl was very nice.

**II.**

Emily grimaced at the clock over the microwave as she slipped her jacket on, fluffing her hair out from under the collar and grabbing her keys from the countertop.

She was running very late today.

She stuffed the end of her half-eaten bagel in her mouth and slung her messenger bag over her shoulder. As she hurried out the door, she couldn't help but stumble over the threshold in her haste to get out and to school on time. She wiggled the key in the lock and pulled the door toward her while she locked it.

Then, she quickly spun around and --

Knocked right into a hard body.

"Oops! Ow. Shoot. Sorry!"

A mess of hair obstructed her vision, but she heard the other person grunt. She assumed it was her neighbor because they lived at the end of the hall and were the only two to come down this far.

Finally she righted herself and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"Might wanna slow down," the girl said, not unkindly. Her eyebrows lifted and she rubbed carefully at her shoulder. "Before you hurt herself."

Emily took the half-eaten bagel from her mouth and gave a breathless chuckle. "I'm late. You know how it is." She had to wonder though, because despite the early hour, it seemed her neighbor was returning home, not leaving it. She was in jeans and an oversized hoodie that said _Barden Bellas._ As Emily watched, she went to put her key in the lock. "I'm Emily, by the way. We didn't get properly introduced before."

The girl gave her a polite smile over her shoulder. "Beca."

"Guess we're neighbors, then."

"Guess so." Beca froze suddenly. She turned back, her hand still on the doorknob as she warily eyed Emily. "You don't, like, have any pets, do you?"

Emily pouted. "Unfortunately no.”

"Cool. The guy who lived there before you had a pet tarantula and I found it in my kitchen once and I gotta tell you, dude, I'm a little traumatized."

Emily giggled. "No. It's just me."

"Okay. That's… cool."

"Yeah."

They stared at each other for an awkward beat, then Beca raised an eyebrow. "Um, aren't you late?"

"Shiiii-" Emily slapped her palm to her forehead. The one not holding her bagel. "Yeah. Thanks. Anyway nice meeting you, Beca!"

Then she scurried off down the hall.

She really was very late.

**III.**

"Good morning, Beca," Emily said, shooting a smile over her shoulder as she rushed, late once again, down the hall.

"Morning," Beca replied with a yawn as she unlocked her door and stepped into her apartment.

**IV.**

Emily glanced at her Fitbit as she made her way up the worn carpeted stairs to the second floor of her building. She wasn’t late -- yet -- but she had to meet Stacie in an hour and she currently was very sweaty and still in her workout clothes. She definitely had to shower and get ready and -- she sighed to herself. She was probably going to be late.

At least Stacie knew to expect it from her.

As she made her way down the hall, pulling her keys from her pocket as she went, the door to 256 opened and out pushed her neighbor.

“Oh. Hey Beca!”

Beca grunted absentmindedly as she tugged her door closed, one hand currently holding a pizza box while the other struggled to juggle her keys and her bag.

Emily watched with a raised eyebrow as Beca tried to pull the door closed and lock it with one hand. Eventually she took pity on her neighbor and grabbed the doorknob, firmly pulling it toward her.

“Ah.” Beca chuckled good-naturedly as she turned the lock and it gave a definitive _click_. “Thanks for that.”

“No problem,” Emily assured her, scrunching her nose in a playful smile. “It’s nice to see you leaving for once. I feel like I always see you when you’re coming home.”

Beca chuckled, shifting her bag in her arms so she could put the keys inside it. “It’s nice to see you not running off because you’re late.”

Emily jolted, her eyes widening. “Oh...”

“You actually are late for something, aren’t you?” Beca shook her head in amusement.

“I mean, technically, not yet but…”

“You’re late.”

Emily hurried over to her door, shoving the key in. “I said not technically.”

“Right.”

“Shh. Good to see you, Beca!” 

“Bye, dude.”

And with that, her door opened and she barreled inside her apartment, determined to not be late. The last thing she saw was Beca laughing to herself before Emily’s door shut between them.

**V.**

Emily could hear music through the walls.

It wasn’t the first time it had happened since she’d moved in. In fact, most late afternoons when she was coming home from work, she could hear music thumping from behind Beca’s door. Emily had often lingered in the hallway to listen curiously (she was a music teacher afterall), before unlocking her door and slipping inside her apartment. When she’d close the door behind her, she sometimes could still hear the faint beat rattling away. She hardly ever recognized the music, and couldn’t really hear it clearly enough to tell if she even liked it.

Today, was a rare occurrence, a Saturday afternoon in which she had nothing to do and decided to spend the day catching up on cleaning and laundry. She had just moved her clothes from the washer to the dryer when the music began, a striking, catchy beat that made her bop her head absentmindedly. 

And then the singing. Loud and clear. A soft but confident alto slipping through the heating vent. 

Emily paused, a pleasant surprise building in her chest as the singing grew louder. 

The voice was warm and beautiful and unmistakably Beca’s. Emily stood there in front of her washer/dryer unit, fingers halfway to the start button, unable to move. Finally she shook out of it and hit the button. The dryer whirred to life, shutting out Beca’s singing.

Without thinking, Emily found herself opening her apartment door, stepping into the hall, and knocking on number 256.

The singing cut off and a moment later, the door opened.

Beca was in a ratty tank top and a pair of sweats that looked three sizes too big and were rolled at the waist several times. Her hair was in a ponytail and her face completely devoid of the dark makeup she usually wore. 

“Oh.” Beca blinked sleepily, then gave her a lazy grin. “Hey neighbor.”

“Hey,” Emily murmured, slightly taken aback by the tattoo she could see just barely peeking over Beca’s shoulder under the straps of her tank top.

“‘Sup?”

Emily paused, unsure why she had knocked in the first place. She cleared her throat. “What’s that song you’re listening to?”

“Oh. Shit, is it too loud? Sometimes I totally forget people, like, live next to me.”

“No,” Emily was quick to say. “I mean, I can hear it, but…” she shrugged. “It’s really good and I didn’t recognize it so I was just wondering. Like, your voice is really pretty. And I mean, I’m a music teacher, so it’s kind of my job to recognize talent, but usually it’s in like, third graders, so, I mean, like, obviously you sound better than my third graders, but --”

“Dude.”

Emily took in a sharp breath. “Sorry. That was a lot, wasn’t it?” Beca chuckled and Emily rubbed at her neck sheepishly. “I just meant to say, it’s not bothering me, I truly just wanted to know what the song was.”

“Right.” Beca was giving her a playful grin that made heat burn in her cheeks. She suddenly was very aware that she was in a pair of pajama pants that were made of a pattern of miniature pigs. “Uh, well. Unfortunately... it’s top secret.”

Emily scrunched her nose. “Top secret?”

“Yeah, and if I showed it to you, I’d have to kill you, and since you’re one of the better neighbors I’ve had, I’m not sure that’s in my best interest.” Beca leaned against the doorjamb, her arms crossing as she lifted a playful eyebrow.

“I see. Well, I think not dying is also in my best interest, so I guess we’re at an impasse.”

Beca laughed. “You’re a music teacher?”

“Elementary school.” Emily scratched at her nose self-consciously. “I would hardly call it teaching music, if we’re being honest. It’s mainly kids goofing off while I try desperately to get them to not break my guitar.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

Beca appraised her curiously and Emily’s entire body fluttered. “Well.” She gestured over her shoulder. “I’m actually a producer and this is the most recent trashfire song I’m trying to make acceptable for the public. So technically it hasn’t been released yet.”

Emily frowned. “It sounds good to me.”

“Well,” Beca rolled her eyes. “This is my very, very edited version that will probably get shot down when I bring it to the table next week. The original, uh… sort of resembled music, if you plugged one of your ears, but most of the people I work with enjoy screaming banshee music for some reason.”

Emily snorted. “Screaming banshee music.”

“It really sounds like that. Or it’s some white rapper who thinks they’re the next Eminem. Execs eat that shit up and they don’t like it when I make it actually listenable.”

“That sounds annoying.”

“Well, it is what it is.” Beca shrugged. “It’s just my side job anyway. Kind of a freelance thing. I mainly DJ, actually.”

Emily tilted her head to the side, considering that. “Huh. Late nights. Makes sense why you’re always coming home in the morning.”

Beca just shrugged, arms still crossed as she leaned in the doorway. “Sometimes.”

“Huh,” Emily repeated. They stared at each other for a second before Emily started to feel awkward standing in the hall barefoot and in her pajamas. “Well,” She said after a moment. “Guess I should get back to my laundry.”

“I’ll try to keep it down. Sorry again.”

“No,” Emily was quick to say. “It really does sound awesome.”

Beca just shrugged again, already moving into her apartment. “See you around, Em.”

Emily made her way back into her apartment, closing the door behind her. As she went back to her cleaning, she couldn’t help the disappointment that filled her chest when the music from Beca’s apartment faded into a muted, barely-there background noise.

**VI.**

“It’s just that the fluorescents give off a certain tint against the skin where you couldn’t be, like, _one hundred percent sure_ someone isn’t completely transparent. I mean, look at how it looks against my skin. And _I’m_ tan.”

“Really, Stace?”

“I’m just saying… you could live in a building full of ghosts and you wouldn’t even know.”

Emily sighed as they made their way down the hall. “I’m pale and I think my skin looks fine?”

“I mean,” said a familiar voice. “Your skin looks great to me, but I’m pretty sure this place actually is haunted.”

Emily looked up from digging in her bag for her keys to see Beca smiling at her. She was draping her backpack over her shoulder, clearly having just exited her own apartment. 

“Told you!” Stacie gestured wildly at Beca. “Neighbor girl knows what I’m talking about.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Stacie, this is Beca. Beca, this is my friend, Stacie.”

“‘Sup,” Beca jutted her chin out. She quirked an eyebrow over in Emily’s direction. “Whatever you do, don’t listen outside 129. Pretty sure that moaning always coming from it is because Mrs. Mason died and is too stubborn to give up her corner apartment so she just stays in there and haunts the shit out of this place.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Emily chuckled.

Beca eyed her doubtfully. “Is it, though?”

“If you were gonna be a ghost, why would someone choose to stay in this building when there are a million other places to go?” Emily reasoned. “I mean, I guess it wouldn’t be _that_ bad, because the walls are pretty thin, so at least you could still hear gossip and conversations and stuff. You definitely wouldn’t get bored. If I got stuck in this building as a ghost I guess I wouldn’t mind _that_ much. I’d just look in on that cat in 323 and listen to your music. I mean, being forced to hear you singing forever would be okay. You have a really nice voice. But I wouldn’t want you to be here forever? I guess at some point you’d move, and then I’d be stuck here alone, which would suck. But before that it would be okay, as long as I could hear you, li-- ”

Emily stopped, suddenly aware both Beca and Stacie were staring at her.

“Anyway. I don’t think it’s haunted,” she finished lamely.

Beca’s mouth twitched upward. “Well, agree to disagree. Anyway, I gotta run, but I’ll catch you later, Em. Nice meeting you,” she said to Stacie. And with a last wave, she was off down the hallway and disappeared around the corner of the stairwell.

Emily moved to unlock her door.

“Um. What the hell was that?” Stacie nudged her in the side.

“Ow.” Emily swatted her away and opened the door. “What was what?”

“That disgusting word-vomit.”

They entered the apartment and Emily tossed her keys on the small table next to the door. She suddenly felt a little defensive. “What do you mean? It was nothing.”

“Nothing? You only talk like that when you’re nervous. Why on Earth would you be nervous?”

“I wasn’t.”

“Emily.”

Emily shrugged, her neck growing warm. “It was nothing. I dunno, I just think she’s interesting. I want to be her friend, but she’s way too cool for me.”

Stacie barked out a laugh. “Oh my God. You think she’s hot.”

Emily frowned. “No, I don’t.”

“You so do.”

“I mean, she’s gorgeous, sure. But I just think she’s really interesting as a person. She’s a music producer _and_ a DJ. And she has the most _amazing_ voice, Stace, I’m serious. And she’s funny. So like, yeah, obviously I think she’s, you know, attractive, but…” She trailed off at the look on Stacie’s face.

“You’re _into_ her. That’s hilarious.”

“Stacie,” Emily whined.

Stacie held her hands up innocently, softening. “What? She’s hot, I feel you. Nothing wrong with a little crush.”

“I just want to get to know her, it’s not like that, okay?”

“Sure.”

Emily frowned. “Stace.”

“What? I said okay.”

“It feels like you don’t believe me.”

“Yeah, that’s because I don’t.”

Emily pouted, feeling vulnerable. “I don’t have a crush.” But Emily was kinda starting to realize maybe she had a crush. On her neighbor. Her cute neighbor. Her cute, _talented_ neighbor. Her cute, talented neighbor who was _way_ too cool for her.

Oh, crap.

**VII.**

"Morning," Beca offered a small smile as Emily stumbled out of her apartment, late once again. “Cool shoes.”

In light of recent discoveries, Emily could feel, as she had the last several times Beca had spoken to her, her neck heat with warmth and a strange nervousness swoop up in her stomach. “Thanks. Cool… uh. You. Yeah. Good morning. I’m late. Again. But have a good day! Bye!”

She thought about just running back into her apartment out of embarrassment, but she was too late for such silly ideas. Instead she scurried off down the hall, swearing she could hear Beca’s laughter trailing after her.

But she was too late (and embarrassed) to look back and check for sure.

**VIII.**

Emily must have been cursed as a child. She was her parents’ first (and only) born, so perhaps a witch cursed her for all eternity to never be on time. 

Usually it wasn’t so bad. Usually it was just a few minutes. Usually she didn’t oversleep her alarm by an hour, consequently forcing her to get ready in ten minutes, completely forgoing a shower and her typical makeup routine in favor of, you know, brushing her teeth and putting on whatever clothes she could grab quickest. 

Usually it wasn’t like that.

Today was not _usually_.

She practically ran out the door, aware she looked like _crap_ and just barely remembering to grab her jacket off the hook.

She could hear Beca in the hall behind her, but she was too late today to be aware of her embarrassing crush and could instead only focus on locking her door. 

Beca was speaking to someone anyway, and as Emily turned around, she saw Beca coming down the hall on her phone, twirling her keys around her finger as she walked. When she saw Emily, she smiled.

“Hang on, babe,” she said into the phone. Then she pulled it away from her mouth to talk to Emily. “Late again?”

“More than usual,” Emily said, breathless and hurried. “It’s gonna be one of _those_ days.”

“Ah,” Beca gave her a knowing grin. “Well, at least you look great.”

And Emily did _not_ look great. Her hair was in a bun because she didn’t wash it and her face was puffy and makeup-free. She was pretty sure her clothes didn't match, but she honestly didn’t have time to look in a mirror after getting dressed so she wasn’t even one hundred percent sure.

She hummed noncommittally, offering her fingers in a wave as she pushed past Beca. “Well, have a good day.”

“Drive safe! Don’t go crazy just because you’re late!” Beca called after her. 

“Okay!”

As she hurried down the hall, she heard Beca speak into her phone again. “Yeah, just Emily. The neighbor I was telling you about.”

The words made Emily’s heart do a weird dance in her chest, but she glanced a look at the time as she turned the corner into the stairwell, and the reminder of just how late she was sent any other thoughts completely out of her mind.

**IX.**

It was strange to see Beca in the hall when Emily was coming back from work. Their times of hallway overlap were usually in the mornings or on the weekends. That’s the first reason she was surprised to see Beca on a Tuesday around 5 in the afternoon.

The other reason she was surprised had to do with the fact that Beca wasn’t coming or going, but appeared, instead, to just be… sitting there.

“Hey?” Emily said as she walked closer. 

Beca looked up from where she was scrolling through her phone, back leaned against her own door. She had earbuds in and she pulled one out to hear better. “Oh, hey.”

“Why are you just… sitting in the hallway?”

Beca rolled her eyes, her head thumping back against 256. “I locked myself out.”

“Oh. That sucks.”

“Yep.”

“Have you been sitting out here a long time?”

Beca shrugged. “Like an hour, I guess.”

“Oh.” Emily frowned. “Did you call the landlord?”

“Nah.” Beca twirled the discarded earbud around her finger. “Someone’s coming with my spare key.”

“Okay, that’s good.” Emily gestured over her shoulder. “Do you wanna come inside until they get here?”

Beca opened her mouth to respond, but at that moment another girl emerged from the stairwell and came jogging down the hall, out of breath and sweaty. “I’m here!”

Beca quirked an eyebrow in Emily’s direction with a playful smile. “Guess not. She’s here.”

The girl stopped in front of them, panting heavily. Her red hair was in a ponytail and she was in a bright orange sports bra and running shorts. When she smiled, Emily absentmindedly thought she was very pretty. 

“I got the key,” the girl said, extending a hand to pull Beca up. 

Beca grunted as she got to her feet. “What the hell, dude. Did you run here?”

“Yeah, babe. It’s good exercise and you know it totes would’ve taken me just as long to drive here at this time with traffic.”

Beca gave a disgruntled sigh, but Emily could tell it came from a place of fondness. “Yeah, but now you’re all sweaty and disgusting. And, like, half naked.”

“Oh, it’s nothing you haven’t seen.” Beca visibly blanched and the girl laughed. Then she looked over at Emily. “Oh, is this your neighbor, Bec? I’m Chloe. Please excuse Beca for being rude and not introducing us. Sometimes she forgets her social etiquette.”

“Ugh. Chloe.”

Emily laughed, extending her hand. “Emily. Yeah, I live right there.” She gestured toward her own door. “And it’s fine. I’m usually the one being rude when Beca’s trying to make conversation. I’m always running off.”

“I don’t think you’re rude,” Beca said, voice quiet and sincere.

Chloe gave Beca an uncertain look that Beca returned. They seemed to have a conversation with their eyes, one Emily couldn’t follow at all. They must be close, she thought, perhaps even dating. She reasoned if Chloe had Beca’s spare key, they communicated with looks, and Beca had seen Chloe naked, then it made sense.

They were cute, Emily mused. Beca, with her grungy black skinny jeans, spiky piercings, and dark eyeliner. And this girl, with her bright smile, neon sports bra, and infectious laugh.

Huh.

“Well,” Emily said, trying to keep her upbeat tone despite her gnawing curiosity and subtle disappointment that she refused to acknowledge at that moment. “It was good to meet you.”

“Yeah,” Chloe beamed, tearing her eyes away from Beca’s. “It’s nice to know Beca has someone across the hall if I can’t come right away.”

“I could pick the lock to this shitty door,” Beca interjected. “I just choose not to because I want my security deposit back in full.”

Chloe exchanged a glance with Emily, eyes twinkling. “Of course you could, honey.”

Beca gave a disgruntled snort, grabbed the key from Chloe’s hand, and opened the door. “Whatever.”

Chloe laughed again, following Beca inside. “Nice meeting you!” She said over her shoulder.

“Yeah, bye, Em.” Beca called from deeper in the apartment just before the door closed.

Emily sighed and opened her own door.

Well, she thought. At least she didn’t have to worry about Beca liking her back. She clearly was already taken.

**X.**

The possibility seemed to take on more weight when Emily knocked on Beca’s door the following Sunday afternoon.

She had been baking for a fundraiser at school and misjudged how many eggs she would need. Not wanting to go to the store, she’d wandered across the hall.

“Emily! Hey!” Chloe beamed at her as the door swung open. 

Emily immediately turned red, not prepared for the sight of Chloe in an oversized shirt, so long that Emily couldn’t make any assumption whatsoever on whether Chloe had any bottoms on underneath, shorts or otherwise. 

“Uhhhhhh…” Her mind frantically scrambled for words. “Chloe. Hi. Hey. Um… egg? Egg! I need an egg.” Chloe was giving her an odd look and she quickly elaborated. “I’m baking and I ran out.”

“Oh, fun. One sec.” She left the door hanging open as she walked away and Emily got a glimpse into Beca’s small apartment. She could see the living area, which had a small couch and coffee table, but no TV. Instead there was a large desk with mixing equipment, a laptop, a record player, and several pairs of large and expensive-looking headphones.

Chloe had turned off into what Emily assumed was the kitchen and further down was another door, half-open and dark. 

Beca’s voice called from inside it. “Chloe, who’s at the door?”

“It’s Emily!” Came Chloe’s muted response. “She’s baking and needs an egg.”

A second later, Beca’s head and torso poked out of the room. She was in her usual _Barden Bellas_ hoodie and had a bad case of bedhead. Emily’s heart flipped a little and she fought another blush.

“Oh, hey,” Beca gave a lazy wave. 

Emily smiled back. “Hey.”

“Egg!” Came Chloe’s voice from the kitchen. Then she turned back into the living area and walked toward the door. “Got it,” she said as she handed it to Emily.

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver. I’ll bring you a little treat when I’m done as a thank you.”

“No problem,” Chloe beamed, as if it were her own egg being offered up instead of Beca’s. Emily thought that pretty much settled the matter on if they were dating. Nobody was that comfortable giving away someone’s groceries if they weren’t dating them.

Emily gave a last wave and turned toward her own apartment. As she closed the door, she caught a final glance into Beca’s apartment and saw Beca walking out of her room.

She was very relieved to see that Beca was wearing pants.

**XI.**

“That’s not fucking fair.”

Emily heard Beca’s voice before she even stepped out of her apartment. She frowned as she opened the door. Beca had her back to her and was clearly trying to unlock her own apartment door, but was struggling to juggle her keys, her bag, and her phone, which she had pressed between her shoulder and her ear.

“No, I just told you ten times I can’t come right now. If you really wanted to see me that bad, you’d take a few days off from your shit and come out here.”

Emily wasn’t sure if she should help Beca with her door or just lock hers and go on her way. It didn’t really seem like this was a conversation for the public.

“I’m not mad, dude, I’m just tired of this shit.” There was a pause in the conversation where Emily frantically shoved her key in her lock and twisted, but the damn thing was sticking as always.

She finally managed to get the door locked just as Beca gave a small sniffle. Emily’s heart wrenched and she prayed Beca didn’t turn around, because she was certain now Beca didn’t want her to hear this conversation.

From across the hall, which felt especially small right then, there came the sound of Beca’s door swinging open. She stepped inside and Emily finally turned around. 

Just before Beca’s door closed, she heard Beca grunt. “Whatever. No. Love you, too, but I can’t talk about this anymore.” 

Emily hurried down the hall, the sound of the Beca’s door slamming shut echoing in her ears the whole way. 

**XII.**

She was just sitting down to eat dinner when a knock came at her door. She frowned, looking at her phone. She wasn’t expecting anyone and it was 6pm on a Tuesday. 

Sighing, she got up and opened the door.

“Hey,” said a blonde girl in a green shirt that read _Florencia’s Flowers._ She was holding a bouquet of roses. _Jessica_ was embroidered on the shirt in pink letters. “I’m supposed to deliver these to a Beca Mitchell in number 256, but there was no answer. Could you sign for them?”

Emily blinked in surprise. “Uh. Yeah? Sure. Yeah.”

She signed for the flowers and the girl handed her the bouquet. “Can I trust you to deliver these?”

“Yes, of course, no problem,” Emily said, instinctively burying her nose in the top of the bouquet and taking a sniff. “I know Beca.”

“Great, thanks, because I’ve got a million deliveries tonight.” Her phone beeped and she answered. “Yeah? I’m coming Ash, one second.” She rolled her eyes at Emily. “Business calls. Thanks a bunch!”

The girl hurried off down the hall and Emily closed her door. She set the flowers on her table. As she settled back down to eat, she noticed a card attached to the bouquet. Curiosity tingled in her fingertips and she had a very strong urge to open the card.

She ignored it, though. These flowers were for Beca, and that message was private.

**XIII.**

It was causing her to run a little late, but she waited until she heard Beca in the hall to leave for work. Then she ran outside with the bouquet.

“Beca! Someone left these for you!”

Beca glanced up from her phone, face scrunching in surprise. “Um. Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Emily backtracked. Then she offered the flowers to Beca. “These came for you last night. I had to sign for them and then I never heard you come home and I fell asleep so I couldn’t give them to you, but I gave them some more water and everything and… yeah. These are for you.”

Beca took the flowers, her face skeptical. 

Emily pointed at the bouquet. “There’s a card attached.”

“Hmm.” Beca plucked the card off and opened it. Then she snorted. “Ass. He thinks shit like this can just make up for things.” Emily frowned in confusion and Beca rolled her eyes. “My boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?” Emily blinked, her world shifting just a little. “Oh.”

Beca chuckled. “Is that surprising?”

“No!” Emily was quick to say. “Anyone would be lucky to date you. I just thought… You and Chloe.”

“Chloe?” Beca let out a loud laugh. “God. She would die if she heard that. She wishes.” 

Emily nodded uncertainly. “Oh…”

“I’m kidding,” Beca smiled. “She’s married. We’ve just been friends forever.”

“I see.”

Beca looked at the card again, then placed it back on the bouquet. “And I’ve been with Jesse for… oh. Well. I guess this time around it’s been about a year, but we’ve been on and off for a long time. He lives in New York,” Beca explained. “So it’s hard. Long distance is a lot of effort and we haven’t really seen each other in awhile.”

“Gotcha,” Emily said, even though she was still recovering from the complete mental turnaround she just had to do. “Well, I’m sure he’ll come around. You’re worth the effort.”

Beca seemed to drift away in thought for a long moment. Then she blinked out of it, looking at Emily suddenly. “Um, dude, aren’t you like, super late?”

Emily chuckled, grabbing at the back of her neck. “Yeah, but I wanted to make sure you got the flowers. It seemed important.”

Beca gave her a strange look. “Thanks, but the fuck? I mean, I appreciate it, but get out of here!”

“Alright!” Emily laughed. She squeezed Beca’s shoulder gently. “See you later?”

“Yeah, dude, now get going!”

Emily gave a final wave and hurried off down the hallway. It’s not like everyone wasn’t used to her being late anyway.

**XIV.**

Emily was enjoying a lazy weekend. She’d done a little laundry, but mostly she’d watched TV, lazed about, and slept in.

Now, Sunday evening, she was absentmindedly strumming her guitar and humming along to a melody that had no words but wouldn’t get out of her head.

She felt the tug of an idea, the very inkling of a thought that seemed promising, when a knock at her door broke it.

Frustrated, she put down her guitar, stood up, and opened the door.

“Beca,” Emily said in surprise. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Beca looked similar to how Emily did, in sweatpants, her hair up and out of her face. She had a baggy hoodie on and was holding her open laptop in her hands. “What’s up?”

“Um, just, you know… playing my guitar.” Emily lamely gestured inside toward the guitar. “What’s, uh, up with you?”

Beca shrugged. “Nothing really.”

Emily paused, waiting for more, but it didn’t come. “Oh, okay?”

“Well.” Beca hesitated, then she gave Emily a sheepish grin. “Actually, I was working and I heard you singing.”

Emily cringed. “Oh geez.”

“No, wait, you sounded fine. Actually, you sounded really great, and that’s why I’m here. I wanted to ask… like…. can you sing something for me?”

Emily frowned. “Sing something for you?”

“I mean,” Beca rushed out. “I’m kind of stuck on this song,” she lifted the laptop slightly, “and I heard you singing and had this idea, like, I think, well. Here, just listen.”

Beca pressed a button on her laptop and a catchy pop beat started playing. After a few bars, a guy began to sing. Beca nodded her head along impatiently. Then she said, “here!” as the chorus started. 

Emily listened curiously until Beca clicked on her laptop again and the music stopped. “You want me to sing the song?”

“Just the chorus and the second verse. I just feel like the second verse sounds like a different point of view and maybe if someone else sang it, it would sound better, like a give and take, kind of? It would just be for a demo, basically, and if the label and this guy like it then we would probably feature someone else on it.” She gave Emily an embarrassed shrug. “I dunno, maybe it’s a dumb idea.”

“I’ll do it,” Emily quickly said. She didn’t want Beca to think it was dumb. “Pull up the lyrics.”

They listened to the song straight through again until Emily had the tempo and sound down. Beca handed her a pair of headphones that were plugged into the laptop, then pulled up a program to record, pressed play on the song, and Emily began to sing.

It was weird, standing in the doorway of her apartment and singing in front of Beca. Emily usually didn’t mind singing for people -- she knew her voice was at least better than average and she wasn’t tone-deaf or anything -- but Beca was looking at the laptop critically. She wasn’t listening just to listen, like people usually listened to songs. She was listening with a technical ear and with a vision and like someone who did this for a living. It was kind of intimidating, but also strangely exhilarating. 

They recorded three different versions before Beca smiled and cut the music off. “That was awesome.”

Emily grinned and handed Beca’s headphones back to her. “Do you think we got a good recording?”

“Yeah,” Beca gave a satisfied smile. “One of those was definitely usable.”

“Cool. Do you need help with anything else? Like, do you wanna come inside to finish? We’re just standing in the hallway,” Emily chuckled.

“Oh, yeah.” Beca blinked at their surroundings like she hadn’t even realized. “Um,” she hesitated, shifting her weight back and forth. “No, I think we’re good. Here, just give me your number. I’ll text you the final version when I finish editing it and shit.”

Emily put her number in Beca’s phone and Beca looked at her gratefully.

“Thanks again,” she said. “I know this was kind of weird.”

“No problem,” Emily shrugged. “It was fun.”

“Yeah, it was.”

Emily matched Beca’s smile. “So did you figure things out with your boyfriend?”

“What?”

“From last week. With the flowers and everything?”

Recognition bloomed on Beca’s face. “Ohhhh. Right. Um, yeah, I guess? He’s gonna come visit next week actually.”

“That’s great!”

Beca hesitated, then she shrugged. “Yeah.”

Emily waited, but that was all Beca had to say. “Well, that’s nice.”

“Mhmm,” Beca hummed, but her attention was back on the laptop. She glanced up at Emily again. “Well, I’m gonna go work on this while I still have inspiration. Thanks again. For real.”

“No problem. Talk to you later.”

Beca nodded again and disappeared inside, her door closing firmly behind her.

**XV.**

“Beca, stop!”

Emily glanced up from her book, straining her ears. 

“Beca, come on!”

It was a guy’s voice, one Emily had never heard before. 

“No,” came Beca’s response. “You’re doing this right now? Why don’t you just fuck off, okay?”

“Seriously?” The guy laughed in disbelief. “After all this time and you’re really doing this again?”

“Me? I’m not doing anything! You’re the one who’s doing this.”

Emily stood up and instinctively moved toward her door. She hesitated to open it, because this was clearly private, but she couldn’t help it. She was hearing it whether she wanted to or not, and if Beca needed help for some reason… 

“Come on, Bec. Why do you always shut people out?”

“Oh, fuck you,” Beca spat. “You always go back to that, but maybe the reason I start to do that is because you’re being a total asshole. You always act so superior like you never do anything wrong, but you’re not fucking perfect, Jess.”

“I never said I was.”

There was a long pause and Emily thought maybe they went inside Beca’s apartment, but then Beca spoke again.

“Listen, if you want to take a break again, fine, but that’s it. If you walk away now then we’re done. I’m tired of this. And it’s not because I’m shutting you out. It’s because we obviously aren’t making this work and clearly you don’t want to put the effort in when shit is hard. But fuck you, dude. I’m worth the effort. So if you walk away, I’m done.”

“Beca…”

“Stop, Jesse. I’m serious this time.”

Emily found herself waiting with baited breath. She knew she shouldn’t be listening, but she couldn’t move. 

“I have to get my flight,” the guy -- Jesse? -- said after a moment. “Please let’s just talk about this tomorrow.”

“No.”

“I’ll call you, okay? But I have to go now. I love you.”

Beca snorted, but said nothing back.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps and Emily assumed he had walked away. She waited for the creak of Beca’s lock, the shutting of her door, but it never came.

“Beca?” She tentatively called through her closed door, feeling foolish.

There was no response and Emily frowned, thinking maybe Beca had gone inside afterall. She turned to go back to her book, and then --

“Yeah.”

Emily couldn’t tell if Beca was crying or not. Her voice was hoarse. “Are you okay?”

“Um. Yeah.” It came out watery and thin. Definitely crying, thought Emily. She had never heard Beca sound like that.

“Do you want… Can I come out?”

Another long pause. “Okay.”

Emily eased the door open to see Beca standing there, facing the open hallway. She had her head down, so Emily couldn’t see her face behind her wavy hair, but she was dressed nicely, in a cute pair of Docs and some ripped jeans. A cool leather jacket hung around her tiny frame. Emily wondered if she’d just been on a date. Her heart crumpled at the thought.

Without thinking, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her neighbor. 

Beca stilled for a moment and Emily worried that she’d breached some kind of boundary, but then Beca’s whole body seemed to slump in on itself. Her cheek rested against Emily’s shoulder, her weight leaning into Emily’s body. Emily squeezed her tighter.

They only stayed like that for a few seconds, then Beca pulled away, frantically wiping at her eyes. Her eyeliner was smudged at the corners.

“Sorry. Oh my God.” She inhaled deeply. 

“Don’t say sorry.” Emily pouted, reaching for Beca’s hand. “Are you okay?”

Beca shrugged. “I think so.” She rolled her eyes. “That was my boyfriend.”

“I figured.”

“Now he’s not my boyfriend, I guess.”

“I’m sorry,” Emily frowned.

Beca shrugged. “Yeah. Me, too. Well. Maybe. I don’t even know.” She sighed. “It’s been coming on for awhile. We’ve done this shit for like four years and it’s like, dude, I’m tired.”

Emily hummed sympathetically. “Yeah, that’s hard.”

“It’s like, if we really loved each other, we wouldn’t be doing this, you know? So maybe it’s just… time.”

“Yeah,” Emily said softly. “You should be with somebody who knows they want to be with you.”

Beca finally looked at her. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Emily gave her hand a squeeze. “You shouldn’t let some boy make you feel like you're not as awesome as you are.”

Beca blinked, giving her a strange look. “Yeah… I’m pretty awesome, aren’t I? Like, I’m pretty cool.”

“Totally. The coolest.” Emily scrunched her nose playfully. 

Beca’s lips twitched and she squeezed Emily’s hand back. “Thanks,” she said quietly. 

“Anytime.” She tried to put as much sincerity into the word as she could muster. She really meant it. 

Beca sighed again and delicately took her hand back. “Sorry you had to… hear all that. And deal with me. It’s totally rude neighbor behavior.”

“No,” Emily said. She smirked a little bit. “Not as rude as letting your tarantula escape into your neighbor’s apartment.”

Beca’s eyes widened. “God, you’re so right.”

Emily laughed. “Really, though, are you okay? Do you want me to call someone for you? Chloe?”

“No, no.” Beca looked horrified at the idea. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow. Subjecting even one person to my tears is too much for one night.”

“Oh, stop.” Emily nudged Beca with her shoulder. “It’s fine. In fact, do you want to come in? I can make you a drink or some coffee or some food?”

Beca hesitated, teeth biting over her lower lip. Finally, she shook her head. “No, I think I should…” She gestured toward her door. “But thank you. Really.”

“It’s fine. _Really_ ,” Emily teased.

The corners of Beca’s lips twitched, but she didn’t fully smile. “Alright. I’m just gonna… go, then.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

“Um, goodnight, then.” 

Emily stepped back into her open doorway, watching as Beca unlocked her door and stepped into her dark apartment. “Goodnight,” she said back.

Beca gave another almost-smile over her shoulder before softly closing the door behind her.

**XVI.**

“Emily!”

Emily turned around as Beca called down the hall. “Hey!”

“Hang on a second!”

Emily waited at the end of the hallway while Beca locked her door and jogged down the hall to meet up with her. She smiled as Beca got closer and they walked down the stairs together. “What’s up?”

“Whoa, you look nice. What are you doing tonight?”

Emily looked down at her outfit, a light sweater over black skinny jeans. “Thanks. I’m actually going to a concert. My friend Stacie invited me. She got free tickets or something.”

“No shit?” Beca looked impressed. “What concert?”

“Maroon 5,” Emily said, slightly sheepish. She was pretty sure Beca didn’t listen to Maroon 5.

“Cool.” Beca scrunched her nose. “But also damn. Because I’m DJing tonight at the grand opening of this sick ass club and was gonna see if you wanted to come.”

Emily’s entire body filled with undeniable FOMO as they stopped in the grungy lobby of their building. “No way! What’s it called?”

“Obsidian.” Beca widened her eyes dramatically. “It’s _very_ fancy.”

“Wow.” Emily felt herself pouting. “Dang, now I wanna ditch out on the concert. Is that bad?”

“Yes,” Beca laughed. “You should go. I’ll invite you again. I’m usually allowed a guest or two.”

A happy warmth grew in her chest at the thought and she smiled at Beca shyly. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, but you better. Or I'll probably regret that I didn’t come for the rest of my life.”

Beca snorted. “Okay, nerd. Have fun at the concert.”

“Have a good… show? Set? I don’t know what it’s called. But have a good one.”

“Okay I will.” Beca ginned back at her. Then her eyes widened. “Shit, I left my phone upstairs. See you later!” 

“Bye,” Emily murmured, watching as Beca ran up the stairs. There was a beep from outside and Emily knew Stacie was probably waiting for her. 

She slid into Stacie’s car, lowkey wishing she was getting into Beca’s instead.

**XVII.**

She trudged up the stairs, feeling warm on a post-concert high. She’d had a good time, but then she and Stacie had gone to a bar afterward and now she was beyond tired. It was way past her bedtime.

She yawned as she took out her keys, but before she could unlock the door, she noticed a figure turn into the hall from the stairway. Her heart jolted as she recognized Beca.

“Hey, stranger,” Beca called quietly, perhaps conscientious of the late hour and their neighbor a few doors down who Emily knew worked really early on Sundays.

“Hey,” Emily grinned. She leaned against her door to watch Beca come closer. “How was the set?”

Beca smiled back at her, mirroring Emily as she leaned against her own door. “Honestly? It was dope as hell.”

Emily chuckled. “Yeah? That’s awesome.”

“How was the show?”

“It was fine. For a free concert, anyway.” 

“You had the best time, didn’t you?” Beca teased.

Emily grinned. “Yeah, I’m totally riding a concert high.”

“Best feeling ever, for sure.” 

“Mhmm.” Emily couldn’t help the happy fluttering dancing in her stomach or the warmth in her cheeks. It was partially from her evening drinks and fun, but she knew it was something else, too. “Weird to see you coming home at nighttime.”

Beca quirked an eyebrow. “I always come home at night.”

Emily frowned. “I never see you! You always come home in the morning.”

Beca grinned. “Well you’re sleeping, aren’t you? How would you see me?”

“Oh,” Emily pouted. “Yeah, I guess. Then where are you always coming back from at 7am?”

“Just upstairs.” Beca shrugged, crossing her arms as she leaned more comfortably against her door. “Usually I come back here and get changed, but I’m too hyped, so I go to the roof and chill and watch the sunrise.”

“What?” Emily had always thought Beca was just coming home for the first time when she ran into the hallway, late, practically everyday. “No way.”

Beca nodded. “Way. Some weeknights I spend at Chloe’s. And then I just come home in the morning.”

Emily tilted her head to the side curiously. “You stay at her house even though she’s married?”

“Her husband is in the Army,” Beca explained. “He’s stationed in Spain and she doesn’t do that well on her own, you know?”

“Oh.” Emily thought about that, trying to fit another piece into the puzzle that made up her mysterious neighbor. It seemed like the more Emily thought she knew about Beca and her life, the more she learned she was wrong. “That’s really sweet of you.”

Beca looked away self-consciously. “Yeah, well. What are friends for?”

“Hmm. So tell me about the club?”

Beca’s face lit up and she began to talk about the club, about her set and the music and the vibe of the crowd. Emily listened, enraptured and interested until Beca asked her about making music and playing the guitar.

Soon they’d been talking for an hour, and they’d slid down to sit across from each other on the floor, both of their backs against their own doors. 

“So that’s how I met Chloe and she forced me into the a cappella thing.”

“That’s hilarious. And creepy.” Emily laughed, her chin pressing into her bent knees that she’d pulled to her chest. She was tired, but all thoughts of bed had flown from her mind as she talked to Beca. Beca was so interesting, funny, unintentionally endearing, and beautiful, Emily thought. Gorgeous, really. She didn’t even notice the time passing by as they hung out.

Then Beca yawned and Emily remembered just how late it was.

“Shoot, we’ve been talking for over an hour.”

“Have we?” Beca glanced at her phone. “Oh shit. No way.”

Emily smiled, feeling a happiness that she didn’t have to reach for in any way settle in her chest. “Yeah. You wanna come inside? I could make us some coffee.”

Beca hesitated, her foot tapping against Emily’s. Then she sighed. “It’s getting late. We should probably go to bed.”

“Oh,” Emily murmured. She tried not to let disappointment creep into her voice. “Okay.”

“I mean, you look like you’re falling asleep sitting up, dude,” Beca said, laughter in her voice.

“No, I don’t,” Emily tried to argue, but was defeated by a large yawn escaping her mouth. “Okay, maybe I do.”

Beca snorted. “That’s what I thought.” She pushed herself up, then reached out her hands to heave Emily to her feet. “Alright, bedtime for us.”

“Mmm,” Emily nodded, now feeling the exhaustion in every cell of her body. “Fine.” She took a second to just take in Beca, pretty and confident in her black leather jacket and jeans. Looking at Beca made her whole body feel like sighing. “Goodnight, then.”

“Goodnight.” Beca squeezed her hands and opened her door, vanishing inside. 

Emily’s pretty sure that when she finally did make it into bed, thoughts of Beca led her into a dreamless sleep.

**XVIII.**

“Good morning, Beca.”

“Hey, Em.” Beca smiled at her as she came down the hall carrying a coffee and looking chipper. “Not rushing off today?”

“I’m miraculously on time.” Emily rolled her eyes at herself. “You’re in a good mood.”

Beca shrugged, but did nothing to hide her smile. “Yeah, I dunno. I just feel good lately. Plus, I have this coffee, which is always a bonus.”

“It is a miracle worker.”

“Well, have a good day, dude.”

“Yeah,” Emily beamed, feeling Beca’s good mood was contagious. “You, too.”

**XIX.**

Emily was tiredly shuffling into her kitchen early Saturday morning when she heard a knock at her door.

She frowned, but figured it was probably Beca. She was surprised, then, to open her door to Chloe’s smiling face.

“Morning,” Chloe beamed.

Emily blinked. “Uh. Hi. Good morning.”

“Gonna be real with you, Emily. We need coffee and for some God forsaken reason, Beca doesn’t have any. Can you hook up a girl up so she doesn’t have to put on real clothes and go to Starbucks?”

Emily took in Chloe’s very long sleep shirt and decided she really must have shorts underneath. She chuckled. “Yeah, okay. I was just about to make some anyway.”

She opened the door wider and Chloe followed her inside.

She got to work scooping the coffee into the machine while Chloe made herself at home at the small kitchenette. 

“So Beca tells me she invited you to see her mix,” Chloe said. Emily glanced over to see Chloe staring at her with a very focused interest. 

She shifted her weight self-consciously. “Yeah, a few weeks ago, but I couldn’t go. So hopefully next time.”

“Mmm,” Chloe hummed, as if Emily were a very fascinating animal species she needed to observe. “You definitely should, then. Beca doesn’t usually invite people.”

“Oh.” Emily paused in her movements to pour the water into the machine. “Really?”

“Mhmm.”

She felt her cheeks warm and jolted herself back into movement. “Well, I mean. Beca knows I teach music. She probably just thought I’d like it.”

“Yeah, probably,” Chloe said, her tone suggesting she didn’t believe that was the reason at all.

Emily didn’t know what to make of it. She finished prepping the coffee and pressed the brew button before sitting across from Chloe. “She said you guys met in college.”

“Yep,” Chloe grinned. “Seems like a lifetime ago now.”

“That’s fun.”

Chloe nodded, eyes meeting Emily’s. “She’s my best friend.”

“Yeah, I think it sounds like it’s mutual.” Emily had the sudden feeling Chloe was sizing her up and she tried not to show any discomfort.

“Yeah, I know. I just meant to say… I know her pretty well, you know? Better than she likes to pretend I do.”

Emily nodded, lost. “Okay…”

“What do you think of her?”

“Of Beca?”

“Mhmm.”

Emily hesitated, folding her hands together on her lap. “I mean, she’s an awesome neighbor. She’s nice and funny and we vibe well. I think we would be super good friends, but our schedules don’t always match up.”

“Hmm.” Chloe put her chin in her hand, looking at Emily thoughtfully. “Yeah. I think she has a soft spot for you.”

It felt like Emily had the wind knocked out of her. “For… me?”

“Sure. You’re totally her type. Smiley, nice, friendly, cute. And it doesn’t help that you’re into music. It’d kind of be a deal breaker if you weren’t.”

Emily had, for a moment, thought Chloe meant that Beca thought Emily would make a nice friend. But the way Chloe was talking confused her. Was Chloe trying to… hint at something else?

“Right.” Emily wasn’t sure what else to say. “I mean, it’s kind of one for me, too.”

“Hmm,” Chloe hummed again. Just watching Emily. Scrutinizing her, really. 

Thankfully the coffee timer beeped just then. Emily shot off her chair and went to the cupboard to pull out some mugs. She poured two mugs for Chloe and Beca and one for herself. 

“Thanks,” Chloe said when Emily passed her the mugs. She got up from the small table and made her way to the door. “You are a lifesaver.”

“No problem,” Emily smiled as she followed behind Chloe. “What are neighbors for?”

Chloe stepped into the hall, nodding thoughtfully. “Well,” she said. “Hope to be seeing more of you around! Thanks again!”

“Yeah,” Emily said, a little bewildered but not totally unhappy with the whole conversation. “Um, you, too.”

Emily closed the door behind Chloe feeling very confused.

**XX.**

“Dude,” Beca said as Emily locked her door behind her. “Those jeans are dope.”

Emily rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I always wear these, you just never noticed.”

“What?” Beca stopped twirling her keys around her finger. “No way. I always notice.”

Emily laughed. “Yeah, I was just kidding. They’re new. So thanks.”

Beca made a disgruntled noise. “Well, that was rude.”

Emily just grinned. “And of course, you look as beautiful in your hoodie as always.”

“Oh, shut up.” Beca laughed and stuck her tongue out. “It’s my look, okay?”

“Sure.” Emily nudged Beca as she moved past. “Have a great day, then.”

“Yeah,” Beca called after her, a smile in her voice. “You, too.”

**XXI.**

Emily fumbled with her keys at the door, feeling nervous and uncertain. She was late and knew she shouldn’t be this time.

“Damn, I’m always running into you out here, aren’t I?”

Emily smiled without turning around. “The odds are in our favor, I think.”

“Oh, for sure.”

Emily finally got her door locked and spun around to see Beca standing in the hall with a box of pizza. “Ooh, pizza,” Emily whined. Her stomach growled as if to remind her how late she was.

“Extra cheese,” Beca grinned. “Well, you certainly look nice. Hot date?”

Emily shrugged. “It’s a blind one, so I can’t really comment on her looks.”

“Oh?” Beca’s face froze on a tight smile and Emily felt a slight change in the air. She felt tense.

“Yeah, Stacie set us up.”

“Oh. Cool.”

Emily sighed, running a hand through her hair, which she’d straightened for the occasion. “And as always, I’m late. So she probably is gonna think I stood her up.

Beca frowned. “Nah. What’s a few minutes? You’re worth waiting for.”

Emily’s stomach flipped. “You think so?”

“Totally.” Beca shrugged shyly. “Better late than never, right?”

“Huh.” Emily had the sudden urge to cancel her date and ask Beca if she wanted to come inside. But Beca always turned down her invitations and she didn’t want to be rude to Stacie’s friend. “Well, that’s sweet of you. Thanks.”

Beca lifted one shoulder. “Don’t let it go to your head,” she teased.

“Too late,” Emily grinned. “What I got from that was that you think I’m worth the wait, therefore you’re gonna wait to eat that pizza just in case the date’s a bust and share it with me when I get back.”

“Mmm…” Beca narrowed her eyes. “I wouldn’t go that far. You may be worth the wait, but I didn’t say anything about sharing my pizza.”

“Oh, well, it was worth a try.” Emily grinned. “Now I really do have to go, though. Talk later?”

Beca nodded, already turning to put her key in her door. “Sure thing. Have a good date.”

“Enjoy the pizza.”

“Oh,” Beca said confidently as she vanished into her apartment. “I will.”

**XXII.**

Emily shuffled down the hall, lost in thought. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the door to 256 opened and out stuck Beca’s head.

“Hey, neighbor.”

“Jesus,” Emily gasped, hand to her chest. “Don’t scare me like that.”

Beca just grinned. “So how was the date?” Emily immediately frowned and Beca laughed. “That bad huh?”

“Yeah. I don’t even wanna talk about it.”

“No goodnight kiss?” Beca teased.

Emily shook her head. “Definitely not.”

“Ah, well. Her loss.”

Emily paused. “Um yeah,” she managed to say at last. “For sure.”

Well,” Beca said, leaning fully in the doorway now. “There’s still some pizza left.”

“Don’t rub it in.”

Beca snorted. “I meant for you, nerd.”

Emily raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Oh, what happened to not sharing, huh?”

“Well,” Beca shrugged, feigning nonchalance but not really achieving it. “Like I said. You’re worth waiting for.”

Emily’s heart dropped into her stomach. “Oh?” She was so not making this up, right?

“Yeah.” Beca’s cheeks pinked. “Of course, there’s a price.”

“There always is.” Emily chuckled. “So what is it?”

Beca smirked playfully. “Goodnight kiss.”

“Oh my God.” Emily’s cheeks were on fire.

Beca burst out laughing. “Dude. Your face.”

But Emily was moving forward, already closing the gap of that tiny, bleak hallway., which somehow didn’t seem so bleak anymore. “Oh, were you just kidding? Because I really want that pizza.”

Beca froze, eyes wide as Emily appeared in her space. “I mean…”

“Aw. Do you take it back?”

Beca’s eyes flickered to Emily’s lips. “Uh. Shit.”

Emily laughed, feeling playful and flirtatious. “Called your bluff.”

“Uhhhhh.” 

Emily laughed again, feeling it reverberate throughout her whole body. She went to let Beca off the hook and started to take a step back --

But Beca reached out and grabbed her by the front of her jacket. 

“Wait.”

Emily’s whole body heated up. “Okay. Waiting…”

“You smell good.”

“It’s my perfume.”

“Wow.”

Beca’s eyes were locked on her lips and Emily couldn’t help the shiver that ran down her spine. She chuckled. “You just gonna trap me here like this… or?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

And then Beca was kissing her, soft and uncertain, like a question or a hope or a wish. Emily sunk into it, sunk into Beca.

She forgot about her day and her date and everything that wasn’t Beca. Beca was kissing her and _God_ , Emily, thought. She didn’t want to stop.

She pushed Beca back, into the doorjamb, the two of them cradling the entranceway, half in and half out. Beca pulled her closer, her fingers crawling around Emily’s neck as Emily’s hands landed on her hips.

She didn’t know how long they kissed like that, just slow and steady, not hurrying, not exploring. Just the gentle easing of trying something you really wanted to do for the very first time.

Finally, Beca pulled back. She looked at Emily, her hands still around Emily’s neck. “Did you know I’ve kinda wanted to do that for a long time.”

Emily smiled and squeezed Beca’s hips. “I kinda had a small feeling. Me, too, though.”

“Oh. You mean we could’ve been doing this already?”

“Yeah, probably.”

Beca pouted slightly and Emily thought it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. “Well,” Beca murmured. “Better late than never, I guess.” And Emily’s heart practically burst.

“So,” she said, giddiness swimming in her bloodstream. “About that pizza.”

Beca laughed and Emily fell in love with the way she could feel it on her skin. “Do you… want to come inside?”

“Yeah,” Emily immediately agreed. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Okay.” Beca untangled herself from Emily with a smile, reaching down to lace their fingers together. “So, did I ever mention that you are way better than my last neighbor?”

Emily chuckled. “Yeah, once or twice.”

“Maybe even my best neighbor ever.”

“You definitely will be my best neighbor ever once I get that pizza,” Emily teased.

Beca grinned over her shoulder as she turned to enter the apartment. “Come on in, then nerd.”

She gave a tug on Emily’s hand and with that, Emily let Beca lead her into number 256.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, you can find me at emilyjunk.tumblr.com.  
> Happy Bemily Week


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